South Africa captain Graeme Smith yesterday said his team will enter the field for the second and final Test against India here with an aim to set right their poor record at the Kingsmead
“From an emotional perspective, it’s been an interesting few days. As a team, perspective is always important and putting things into context, understanding what needs to be done. I feel we’re mentally ready. Hopefully, it will be really good, high intensity and we’ll be ready for Boxing Day,” Smith was quoted as saying by PTI.u00a0
Graeme Smith
ADVERTISEMENT
“Kingsmead has always been a tougher place to bat. It is a tougher pitch to control. We don’t have the best record in Durban over the last few seasons and we are looking forward to the opportunity to put that right now,” he added.
It’s been a while
South Africa last won a Test in Durban way back in 2008, beating the West Indies. Since then, they have lost here to Australia, England, India and Sri Lanka. It is the first thing in a list which must be bothering Smith, besides the Kingsmead pitch.
“One of the reasons for our poor record is the pitch. It’s a surface that can change every day. Statistics say that day two is more difficult to bat on than day one, pretty similar to Wanderers. But overhead conditions and weather can play a big rolehere.
“It can get hot, it can get flat and then there are times it can do a bit. It’s just about reading those moments of the game well and making sure you can be effective,” he explained.
The next bit on the Proteas’ plate will be deciding on their eleven. “We have been really fortunate that we haven’t had too many, touch wood, serious injuries to our frontline three seamers especially.” u00a0
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
